Crime fiction stars team up to support Barnardos

This Halloween, a group of crime writers including Peter James, M W Craven, T M Logan and Trevor Wood are publishing a spooky crime anthology to help raise funds for the Barnardos Children in Crisis Appeal, set up in the wake of the "shadow pandemic" created by Covid-19.

The collection, Afraid of the Shadows, will feature 20 short stories and be edited by Miranda Jewess, editorial director at Viper. It is the third volume in the bestselling Afraid of the Light series, launched during the March 2020 lockdown, which has raised thousands of pounds for its chosen charities.

It will publish on 1st October in e-book via Amazon and in paperback, with all profits going to the Barnardos Children in Crisis Appeal.

It will also feature CWA Short Story Dagger shortlistees Victoria Selman, Elle Croft, Robert Scragg, James Delargy and Dominic Nolan, as well as stories by Phoebe Morgan, S R Masters, Clare Empson, Matt Wesolowski, N J Mackay, Kate Simants, Jo Furniss, Heather Critchlow, Adam Southward and Rachael Blok.

Victoria Selman, who co-ordinated the anthology and was Dagger-shortlisted for her story in volume two of the series, said: "The impact of coronavirus is plunging the most vulnerable children into poverty and deprivation. This collection is a way to help them, and a great read to boot. It has been a huge pleasure putting it together with such a talented array of authors."